"On January 16, SpaceX conceded that the latest prototype of its enormous Starship spacecraft had "experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly during its ascent burn" - a tongue-in-cheek admission that the massive rocket had exploded mid-flight. Countless videos circulating online showed a massive stream of reentering pieces of the Starship rocket blazing across the evening sky over the West Indian islands of Turks and Caicos. It was a dazzling sight to behold as the destruction streaked across the sky, like something from science fiction."
"And now, eleven months later, the Wall Street Journal has obtained Federal Aviation Administration documents revealing that three aircraft - a JetBlue passenger plane, an Iberia Airlines flight, and a private jet, carrying a total of 450 people total - were in far greater danger than SpaceX and government officials let on at the time. The reporting also highlights the possibility that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's extremely close relationship and ample influence in Washington, DC,"
On January 16 a Starship prototype exploded during ascent, described as having "experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly during its ascent burn." Reentering debris streaked across the Turks and Caicos sky and littered beaches with burnt rubber and rocket pieces. A repeat incident on February 24 forced airlines to alter flight paths to avoid falling debris. FAA documents obtained later showed three aircraft carrying about 450 people had been in substantial danger that day and required air traffic controllers to scramble. The documents raise concerns that close ties between SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and Washington officials may have influenced FAA oversight decisions.
Read at Futurism
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